I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed my return on February 15th through TurboTax and got all the confirmation emails, but when I check my transcript it shows "Return Not Present" just like yours. It's been really stressing me out because I was counting on that refund too. From reading all these comments, it sounds like this is happening to a bunch of people who filed in February. I'm starting to think there might be some kind of processing backlog or system issue on the IRS side. The fact that so many TurboTax filers are experiencing this makes me feel like it's not something we did wrong. I'm probably going to try that taxr.ai tool everyone's mentioning since calling the IRS seems impossible right now. At least it might give us some clarity on what's actually happening with our returns instead of just wondering and worrying every day. Hang in there - hopefully we'll all see our returns show up processed soon! 🤞

I'm dealing with the exact same situation! Filed through TurboTax on February 7th and my transcript is showing "Return Not Present" too. It's been really stressing me out because I need that refund for some medical bills. After reading all these comments, it seems like there's definitely something going on with February filings through TurboTax. So many of us are experiencing the same thing - got confirmation emails but transcript shows nothing filed. I just tried the taxr.ai tool that everyone's been recommending and honestly it was really helpful! For just $1 it analyzed my transcript and explained that the "not filed" status doesn't necessarily mean your return is lost - it often shows up when returns are in a verification queue or there's a processing backlog. It gave me a timeline of what to expect and when I should start worrying if nothing changes. Way better than trying to decode the IRS phone system that never lets you talk to a human. At least now I have some idea of what's happening instead of just panicking every day checking my transcript. Hopefully we'll all see our returns show up processed soon! 🙏

I'm dealing with the exact same situation - filed my extended return by mail in late June and it's been radio silence from the IRS ever since. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea about the IRS account transcript option, that's definitely something I'm going to check today. The processing timeline estimates people are sharing (6-16 weeks for paper returns) are both reassuring and nerve-wracking at the same time. At least now I know what to expect instead of just wondering if my return got lost in the mail somewhere. Has anyone here had experience with amended returns after using those analysis tools mentioned? I'm wondering if it's worth double-checking my return for missed deductions while I'm waiting anyway. Might as well make the most of this frustrating wait time!

I've been following this thread closely since I'm in a very similar situation - filed my extended return by mail in early July and have been anxiously waiting ever since. Reading everyone's experiences has been both helpful and anxiety-inducing! The IRS account transcript suggestion is brilliant - I just checked mine and it shows they received my return on July 18th, even though the "Where's My Refund" tool still shows absolutely nothing. At least now I know it's not lost in the mail somewhere. Based on the timelines people are sharing here (6-16 weeks for paper returns), it looks like I'm probably looking at late September or early October for my refund. That's later than I hoped, but at least now I can plan accordingly instead of checking my bank account every day. One thing I'm considering based on this discussion is using one of those analysis services people mentioned to double-check my return while I wait. If there's a chance I missed some deductions, it might be worth filing an amendment even if it delays things further. Has anyone here actually gone through the amendment process after using those tools? I'm curious about the timeline for that compared to just waiting for the original return. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community has been way more helpful than any official IRS resource I've found!

I'd also recommend keeping a spreadsheet that tracks each withdrawal against specific medical expenses. When I made my first large HSA withdrawal ($15k), I created a simple Excel file with columns for withdrawal date, amount, and which specific medical receipts I was using to justify that withdrawal. This became invaluable when my tax preparer needed to verify everything for Form 8889. Having that clear paper trail showing exactly which expenses corresponded to which withdrawals made the whole process much smoother. Plus, if you ever do get questioned by the IRS, you can quickly show them the connection between your distributions and your qualified medical expenses. The key is being proactive with your record-keeping rather than trying to piece everything together later if questions arise.

One thing I learned from my CPA is that the IRS is actually more focused on whether you're properly reporting HSA distributions rather than the specific amounts. What tends to trigger scrutiny is when people forget to report distributions at all, or when they claim the entire distribution as a qualified medical expense without having proper documentation. Since you mentioned having $65k in receipts for a $40k total withdrawal, you're in a really good position. Just make sure you keep those receipts organized by date and clearly mark which ones you're using for each withdrawal. I'd also suggest taking photos or scanning everything as backup - I had a receipt fade over time and was glad I had a digital copy. The fact that you're being thoughtful about this process and keeping good records puts you way ahead of most people. Even if you did get selected for review, having organized documentation showing legitimate medical expenses will resolve things quickly.

Another thing to consider - as a remote worker for a California company, make sure you're not having California state tax withheld from your paychecks! California only taxes non-residents on income physically earned while in California. If you haven't physically worked in California, you shouldn't be paying California income tax at all. This is separate from the 529 question, but many remote workers overlook this and end up filing unnecessary non-resident returns.

Just wanted to add some clarity on the Virginia 529 deduction limits since I see this question come up a lot. Virginia allows up to $4,000 per account per year for 529 contributions, and if you're married filing jointly, both spouses can deduct up to $4,000 each (so $8,000 total per account). Since you contributed $4,700, you can deduct $4,000 of that on your Virginia return this year. The remaining $700 doesn't carry forward for deduction purposes, but it's still a valid contribution toward your niece's education. Also, make sure you're contributing to a Virginia529 account or another qualifying state plan to get the deduction. The income source (California vs Virginia) definitely doesn't matter - what matters is your Virginia residency status when you file your state return.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) implications. Investment interest deductions that are allowed for regular tax purposes might be treated differently under AMT calculations. If you're subject to AMT, some of your investment interest deductions could be disallowed or limited further. Also, make sure you're not double-counting any expenses. For example, if you paid property taxes with the loan proceeds, you can't deduct both the property tax payment AND claim the loan interest as deductible - the interest portion used for property taxes would be non-deductible personal interest. Another consideration is state tax implications. Some states don't conform to federal rules for investment interest or home equity interest deductions, so you might need to make adjustments on your state return even if everything is properly handled federally. The allocation method you choose needs to be reasonable and consistently applied. Whatever approach you use for dividing the interest expense, document your methodology thoroughly in case you need to defend it later. The IRS appreciates clear, logical allocation methods backed by solid documentation.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation where I used a margin loan for multiple purposes. One additional consideration I wanted to mention is the wash sale rule implications if you're using loan proceeds to buy stocks. If you sell stocks at a loss and then use your margin loan to repurchase the same or substantially identical securities within 30 days, the wash sale rule could disallow the loss deduction, which would affect your net investment income calculation for Form 4952. This could indirectly impact how much of your investment interest expense you can actually deduct. Also, for anyone considering this type of financing strategy going forward, it might be worth opening separate accounts or taking separate loans for each intended use. While it's more complex to manage multiple credit facilities, it makes the interest allocation much cleaner from a tax perspective and reduces audit risk. The documentation requirements mentioned by @fd111dffc265 about maintaining clear paper trails really cannot be overstated. I've seen cases where taxpayers lost substantial deductions simply because they couldn't adequately document how loan proceeds were used, even when the underlying transactions were legitimate.